The earliest known inhabitants of the San Francisco Bay Area were the Ohlone
Indians. The Spanish were the first known to have explored the region. The English
explorer Sir Francis Drake sailed along the Californian coast in 1579, but did
not enter San Francisco Bay. In 1776, Spanish settlers established a fort in
the area and dedicated the associated mission to St Francis of Assisi, San Francisco,
from whom the city gets it's name.
Following independence from Spain in 1821, the area became part of Mexico.
It wasn't until 1836 that a town was created on the edge of the bay, outside
the area of the mission, and settlers began to be attracted to the area. In
1846, during the Mexican-American War, the town was claimed for the United States.
On September 9, 1850, California became the 31st State of the Union.
San Francisco grew rapidly as a result of the Gold Rush of 1848-49, due to
the flood of immigrants hoping to strike it rich. The population increased from
just 1000 people in 1848 to 25000 by the end of 1849. It was the terminus for
the first trans-continental railway, enabling ever more people to make the journey
west in search of their fortunes. During the second part of the 19th century,
many Chinese immigrants, fleeing the Opium Wars in their home country, arrived
in California and set up restaurants, shops and laundries. The first of the
city's famous cable cars was installed in Clay Street in 1873.
In 1906, the city suffered from a severe earthquake, believed to have measured
7.8 on the Richter scale. Ruptured gas pipes ignited and started large fires,
causing almost as much destruction as the seismic activity and leaving swathes
of the city in flames for three days. More than 80% of the city was damaged
or destroyed and up to a third of it's residents left homeless. Rebuilding of
the town was, however, rapid due to the ready supply of immigrant labour.
San Francisco was not as severely affected by the 1929 Stock Market Crash and
ensuing Great Depression in the 1930s as many other American cities. None of
the city's banks failed and it was during this period that two of it's largest
engineering projects were undertaken; construction of the San Francisco-Oakland
Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge.
During World War II, Fort Mason became a major embarkation point for troops
bound for the Pacific and the resulting increase of jobs drew more people to
the city, particularly African Americans from the South. Many of these new arrivals
decided to remain in California after the war.
In the 1960s, the Haight-Ashbury district became a magnet for intellectuals,
radicals and hippies. The 1970s saw the rise of the Gay Rights movement and
the creation of a 'gay village' in the Castro district of the city.
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